The Wake County school construction program took a major step forward Tuesday, as the Board of Education approved design and construction teams for four new elementary schools and four major renovation projects.

These projects are part of the building program paid for in large part by voter approval of $840 million in school construction bonds last fall.

The board action authorizes design work for major renovation of Garner Magnet High, originally constructed in 1967. Renovation work is due to begin in 2016 when students and teachers move into swing space at the newly completed South Garner High campus. The Garner Magnet High students will return to the campus in August 2018 and South Garner High will open with its own students.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2016 for renovations of Brooks Magnet Elementary, Lincoln Heights Elementary and Vandora Springs Elementary.

The new school projects include E28 elementary near the intersection of Poole and Barwell roads in east Raleigh, E33 elementary at O’Kelly Chapel and Yates Store roads in West Cary, E31 Bryan Road Elementary at 8213 Bryan Road in Garner and E40 elementary at 201 N. Rogers Lane in east Raleigh. These schools are scheduled to open for the 2017-18 school year.

Board approves

The Board of Education approved the following design teams and construction managers for pre-construction services:

For each of the new elementary schools, the design teams are re-using Wake County school designs.

CIP 2013 overview

The 2013 construction improvement program will build 16 new schools and renovate six schools. It also includes startup funding for renovation of three additional schools.

WCPSS will open three new schools in August 2015: Abbotts Creek and Scotts Ridge elementary schools (CIP 2013) and Apex Friendship High (CIP 2006).

Construction is underway on South Garner High and Pine Hollow Middle (CIP 2013). Pine Hollow will open as a year-round middle school for 2016.

Design is underway on E36, E37, E38, E43 elementary schools, M13 middle school and the renovation of Green Magnet Elementary. The elementary schools are due to open in the fall of 2016. The middle school is due to open in the fall of 2017.

The school construction will serve the growing demand for public school space. WCPSS has 155,184 students this year compared with 143,289 in 2010-11 and 114,068 in 2004-05.